1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film carrier used in a photographic printer, and more particularly to a film carrier for use in cropping.
2. Description of the Related Art
When making photographic prints, a film carrier is used for holding or pressing the photographic film to flatten an image frame formed on the film and placed in a print station. The film carrier is constructed of a mask plate for holding the photographic film thereon and a film press plate for pressing the photographic film onto the mask plate. While the photographic film is transported, the film press plate is displaced away from the mask plate to prevent damage to the photosensitive emulsion layer of the photographic film. During a printing exposure, the film press plate is urged by a solenoid toward the mask plate to maintain the surface of the photographic film flat and even.
Film carriers utilized for cropping must especially provide a high degree of flatness and evenness of the photographic film because the cropping is usually performed at a higher print magnification than ordinary printing. However, the conventional pressing mechanism using solenoids or springs requires a complicated and large mechanical device. Furthermore, it is conventionally necessary, during cropping, to slide the film carrier on the base plate to bring the center of the cropping area of the image frame in alignment with the center of the printing light. However, the surface of the conventional film carrier for use in cropping is not smooth thus quickly becomes worn.